Safety shield for electric outlets



July 25, 1950 H. w. HoosER SFETY SHIELD FOR ELECTRIC OUTLETS Filed May 28, 1949 FIG. 2'

F IG. 5

FIG.4

me. 3 l2 ll FIG. 8

ATTORNEY Patented July 25, 1950 `UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SATETY SHIELILFOR ELECTRIC OUTLETS Harry W. Hooser, Las Vegas, Nev.

Application May 28, 1949, SerialNo. 95,930

5 Claims.

This invention relates to a safety shield for electricfoutlets, and more particularly'to a shield for the customary electric outlets ordinarily placed in walls, baseboards and the like, and having one or more sockets for'plugging in any desired electrical iixture.

vAn object of my invention is to provide a cover orl shield for electric outlets so as to protect small children from exploring the possibilities thereof With small fingers, .bits of wire, and the like, with theattending danger of burns or deadly shock.

:Another object of my invention is to provide a'safety shield forelectric outlets which is so simple .in design as not to suggest an attractive nuisance andit will therefore be overlooked by children.

Another object of my invention is vto vprovide afcoveror safety shield for electric outlets which is effective in preventing dustand other foreign matter 'from getting into the-outlets 'Another object of my invention is to provide a'safety. shield for electric outlets which requires the Ysimultaneous Yapplication kof pressure and a lifting rn'otiorri'or operation sovthat it willbe diiciilt for even large children to manipulate it, and l yet adults can use'it with ease.

Another object of my invention is'to provide a safety shield'ior electric outlets which is inexpensive to manufacture, attractive in appearance, eiiicientin use and durablein construction.

y'Other and further objects and advantages of myiinvention will appear'frorn the following description taken in connection with the accom panying drawing in Which like characters of referencey designate corresponding parts throughoutthe several views, and wherein:

l is a plan view of the body of my shield with coverremoved.

Fig. 2 is a side view ci the device shown in Fig. l.

Fig. 3 is a bottom end view of the device shown in Fig. l.

Fig. 4 is a plan view of the cover for my shield.

Fig:5iis a sideviewof the device shown in Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is a bottom end view ofthe-'device shown if Fig. 4.

Fig. 'lis a plan view of a complete safety shield for electric outlets embodying'myinvention.

Fig. v8 is a top view of the ydevice shown in Fig. 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 9 9 in Fig. l.

Fig. lo is a cross-sectional view taken along the line ill-ill in Fig. 7.

In the embodiment chosen for illustration, a f

base plate I I is provided on the face thereof with apair of raised slide bars I2, I2 spaced from the sides of said plate, as shown in Fig. 3, the slide bar ibeing spaced farther from the side of the plate I! thanis the slide bar l2 and being provided with a plurality of fastening means or notches I3, i3', I3" cut in its outer edge for a purpose to be more fully described hereinafter. Thevbaseplate il is also provided with upstanding sides Ill, i4 having inturned flanges I5, I5', respectively, which overhang the channels provided between the upstanding sides M, I4 and the slide-bars I2, I2.

The baseplate II is designed to t over the ordinary electric outlet boX and may replace the cover customarily provided. The base plate is apertured, as at iii, I6' to receiveand permit access to the ordinary electric sockets, and is provided With a hole il'through which a screw (not shown) is inserted for vfastening the device in place.

-The'sides i4, I4 Yextend outwardly beyond the slide bars I2, i2 sufciently so that a cover I8 is slidably received between the flanges i5, I5 and the slide bars I2, I2. The'cover lil is provided with longitudinally extending guide bars I9, I9 along opposite'sides of its back. The guide bars I9, i9 nt into and. slide within the channels dened by the slide bars I2, I2', respectively, the guide bar I9 being provided near'the bottom of the cover iii with a latch or projection 2id for 'cooperation with-the notches It, I3 in the slide bar I2, as will'be more fully described hereinafter.

Theflower portionoi the cover I8 is curved or bowed outwardly, as at 2i; and when the cover is resting in place on the base plate l l, the projection vvEil is received within the notch 3, as clearlyvshown in Fig. 7, and holds the cover securely inplace; lhowever, ifpressure is applied upon the resilient bowed portion 2i, the resilient bowed portion will yield and ex so that projection 20 will=be renioved'irom engagement with the notch I3 and the cover i8 can then be pulled upwardly. Altan-22 is provided on the upper end of the cover lento assist in raising and lowering the cover. `A. bottom=bar extending across the lower end of the base plate limits the downward'inovement `of thecover I8, and closes lthe bottom of the channels within which the guide bars I5, I9 slide.

In practice, when my shield is placed over an electric outlet and screwed into place, the cover i3 can only be removed by applying pressure on the bowed section 2i to release the projection 2U from the notch i3 and simultaneously pulling upwardly on the cover or tab 22. When this simultaneous pressing and pulling force is applied, the cover I8 can be slid upwardly. As the cover progresses upward it will uncover the socket beneath the opening I6, and if pressure is released from' the bowed section 2|, the projection 20 will catch in the notch I3 and hold the cover securely in that position. If it is desired to uncover the socket beneath the opening I6', pressure can again be applied to the bowed section 2l and by simultaneously pulling upon the tab 22 the cover can be slid upwardly until the projection '20 engages the notch I3", or the cover I8 can be removed entirely, as will be understood, by a farther simultaneous pressing and pulling action as described above. To lower the cover I'8 to close it so as to prevent inadvertent access to the electrical outlet, it is merely necessary t push downward on the tab 22, whereupon the cover slides easily down against the bottom bar 23.

My shield is adaptable for construction from materials customarily used in the construction of covers for electric outlets and may be made from plastic, either clear or colored. It will be apparent from the construction of my shield that while it is neat and attractive in appearance it will not entice children to pry into it, and the double ac- -tion required to open it is simple for adults, not generally susceptible of comprehension by children and is therefore substantially fool proof.

It will be `obvious to those skilled in the art that many modifications and changes can be made in the embodiment shown without departing from the scope of my invention as dened in the appended claims.

I claim:

l. A safety shield for electric outlets comprising a base apertured to receive electric outlet sockets, a cover slidably mounted on said base and covering apertures for electric sockets in said base, a plurality of fastening means on said base, latch means on said cover engaging one of said fastening means and holding said cover against displacement, said cover having a bowed resilient portion and being arranged to ilex to disengage said latch means from said one of Said fastening means when pressure is applied to said bowed portion, whereby said cover can be moved upwardly to selectively expose said apertures for electric sockets in said base.

2. A safety shield for electric outlets comprising a base apertured to receive an electric outlet socket, a cover slidably connected to said base and covering said aperture for an electric socket in said base, fastening means on said base, latch means on said cover engaging said fastening means and holding said cover against displacement, said cover having an outwardly bowed resilient portion and being arranged to flex to disengage said latch means from said fastening means when pressure is applied to said bowed portion, whereby said cover can be moved upwardly to expose said aperture for an electric socket in said base.

3. A safety shield for electric outlets comprising a base having slide bars spaced from the sides thereof, one of said slide bars having a notch in its outer edge, upstanding sides on said base cooperating with said slide bars to form channels,

flanges on said sides overhanging said channels, said base plate being apertured to receive an electric outlet socket, a cover slidably received between said flanges and said slide bars and covering said aperture for an electric socket in said base, guide means on said cover slidably positioned within said channels, means on one of said guide means received within said notch and holding said cover against lateral displacement, said cover having an outwardly bowed resilient portion adjacent said projection and being arranged to flex to disengage said projection from said notch when pressure is applied to said bowed portion, whereby said cover can be moved upwardly to expose said aperture for an electric socket in said base.

4. A safety shield for electric outlets comprising a base having a pair of slide bars spaced from the sides thereof, one of said slide bars having a notch in its outer edge, upstanding sides on said base cooperating with said slide bars to form channels, flanges on said sides overhanging said channels, said base being apertured to receive an electric outlet socket, a cover slidably received between said flanges and said slide bars and covering said aperture for an electric socket in said base plate, guide bars on said cover slidably positioned within said channels, a projection on one of said guide bars received within said notch and holding said cover against lateral displacement, said cover having an outwardly bowed resilient portion adjacent said projection and being arranged to iieX to disengage said projection from said notch when pressure is applied to said bowed portion, whereby said. cover can be moved upwardly to expose said aperture for an electric socket in said base.

5. A safety shield for electric outlets comprising a base plate having a pair of slide bars spaced from the sides thereof, one of said slide bars having a plurality of notches in its outer edge, upstanding sides on said base plate cooperating With said slide bars to form' channels, inturned flanges on said sides overhanging said channels, said base plate being apertured to receive electric outlet sockets, a cover slidably received between said flanges and said slide bars and covering aperturesfor electric sockets in said base plate, guide bars on said cover slidably positioned within said channels, a projection on one of said guide bars received within one of said notches and holding said cover against lateral displacement, said cover having an outwardly bowed resilient portion adjacent said projection and being arranged to flex to disengage said projection from said notch when pressure is applied to said bowed portion, whereby said cover can be moved upwardly to selectively expose said apertures for electric sockets in said base plate.

HARRY W. HOOSER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 829,909 Craft Aug. 28, 1908 2,064,241 Batdorf Dec. 15, 1936 

